Summer Parking Information

Summer parking operations for 2018 will require guests to pull a ticket to access parking in the Vail Village and Lionshead parking structures and to insert the ticket to exit. Parking during the summer is free in the Vail Village and Lionshead parking structures during the day. There will be a $25 overnight fee for vehicles parked in the structures between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m. applicable from May 25th, 2018 thru September 30th, 2018.

For your convenience, hosts will be on site to assist with entry and exit.

Park FREE | Ride FREE in Vail - Park for FREE in one of our designated locations, then take a FREE Town of Vail bus from there. Details Here.

Free Public Parking

Park your car for free in the Vail Village or Lionshead structure from April 16, 2018 until the start of the 2018-2019 ski season in November, 2018. These are the only public parking structures offering free summer parking. Please note that there will be a $25 overnight fee for vehicles parked in the structures between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m. applicable from May 25th, 2018 thru September 30th, 2018. The public parking garage at Solaris, 141 E. Meadow Dr., offers paid parking and is privately operated.

Ford Park Parking

When multiple events are taking place in Ford Park, a managed parking fee of $10 is collected. These paid parking dates are listed and updated regularly on www.vaileventparking.com with additional information on express bus stops and passenger drop-off locations.

Frontage Road Parking

Overflow parking on the South Frontage Road is allowed once both parking structures are full. Express bus service on the frontage road and an extension of the in-town bus route is also used for events during the summer. The express bus stops are located at the Lionshead Transit Center, the north side of the Vail Village Welcome Center and at Ford Park.

RV Parking

RV parking is available south of the Lionshead parking garage entrance in the Charter Day Lot at 395 S. Frontage Road. $25 overnight fee for RVs/campers in Charter Bus Lot east of the Lionshead parking structure with 3-day maximum; commercial charter buses remain free. Space is limited to first-come, first-served. Overflow parking is available on the North Frontage Road. in West Vail in front of the West Vail Fire Station. There is no “camping” within the Town of Vail in RVs. For permits, please see the parking attendant in the booth at the entrance of the Lionshead parking garage.

$25 Overnight Parking

There will be a $25 overnight fee for vehicles parked in the structures between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m. applicable from May 25th, 2018 thru September 30th, 2018. For vehicles using the structures overnight for over 14 days, call 970-479-2445 for assistance from the parking staff. There is currently no charge for parking in the Vail Village and Lionshead structures during the day in the summer.

Oversize Vehicles

Vail Village: The height of the Vail Village parking structure entrance is 6’9.” Vehicles that are 6’9” or higher can park on the 4th level of the Vail Village parking structure or on the top level of the Lionshead parking structure. No overnight parking. Vehicles cannot exceed 19 feet in length.

Lionshead: The height of the Lionshead parking structure entrance is 7.’ Vehicles that are 7’ or higher can park on the top level of the Lionshead parking structure or on the 4th level of the Vail Village parking structure. No overnight parking. Vehicles cannot exceed 19 feet in length.

Electric Cars & Charging Stations

Free Charging Stations in Parking Garages.

To accommodate the growing interest in low/zero emissions vehicles, the town has equipped the parking structures with free charging stations. The six multi-port stations (five in Vail Village and one in Lionshead Village) accommodate the newest generation of electric, plug-in electric and electric extended range vehicles. Each location is able to serve two cars at a time with high speed charge. The stations will produce an 80 percent or more charge within the two-hour free parking time frame of the winter paid parking season. All charging stations have been upgraded to tell users when charge is complete via text message. Contact the Vail Welcome Center at 970-476-4790 for details.

Charging Station Locations in Vail

Main Vail Parking Structure

Level 1 – Southeast end of the structure, one charging station

Level 2 – Driving up the ramp from Level 1, middle of the structure, three charging stations

Level 3 – West of the structure next to the pedestrian exit, one charging station

Lionshead Parking Structure

Level 1 – Southeast end of the structure, one charging station

Click on the map below to view larger.

Frequently Asked Summer Parking Questions

Free daytime parking will be available on a first-come, first-served basis in the Vail Village and Lionshead parking structures with overflow parking available on the South Frontage Road until 11 p.m. To discourage overnight parking, a $25 fee will be applied to vehicles parked in the structures between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m. All other parking scenarios will remain free.

The strategy behind the summer parking plan is to discourage overnight vehicle storage to help maximize available spaces for daytime use to minimize overflow parking on the South Frontage Road and to reduce the number of days either structure fills. The intention is also to reduce the number of days either structure fills. In evaluating data from the 2017 summer season, the structures averaged 324 vehicles in the 4 a.m. to 5 a.m. timeframe. The weekday average was 294 cars while the weekend average was 424 overnight cars. The goal is to reduce the number of overnight parking in the structures by 100 to 200 spaces per day.

The Town of Vail has an agreement with the Colorado Department of Transportation to limit the number of overflow parking days to 15 per season. There were 22 overflow parking days on the frontage road last summer and 20 overflow days during winter 2016-2017.

Two summers ago, the Lionshead parking structure filled 58 times and last summer the structure filled 36 times out of 122 days. When one parking structure fills, the only available parking is to use the other parking structure which has the potential to negatively impact the overall guest experience.

Green, Blue, Silver or Gold passes issued for the 2017-2018 winter season may be used for free entry during the 2018 summer season. This will provide unlimited access to the two parking structures with no restrictions. Once the parking structures fill, none of these passes will allow guaranteed access; you will be directed to overflow parking on the South Frontage Road.

Value cards may be used for free daytime access to the two parking structures. A $25 charge on the Value card will apply if the vehicle is parked between the hours of 4 a.m. and 5 a.m. Pay-on-foot stations will be operable throughout the summer to load value for this purpose.

No. An exception has been made for employees who will be on the job between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m. For employees who do not currently have a Green, Blue, Silver or Gold pass from the 2017-2018 winter season, employers are asked to contact the town by calling 970-479-2104 to make arrangements to obtain a parking pass for the summer at no charge.

There is a free validation system for overnight guests staying in lodges with limited on-site parking. Validation tickets will be provided by the Town of Vail for distribution by qualifying lodges. Guests are advised to check on this arrangement in advance and to make arrangements accordingly.

Lodges identified on the Town of Vail Exempted Lodging Parking Map are eligible for the free parking validation. Also, there will be occasional circumstances in which conference or group business will exceed a property’s onsite parking capacity. To make a request or to inquire about qualifications, contact Public Works/Transportation Director Greg Hall at ghall@vailgov.com.

There will be retention of the Town of Vail’s long-standing program that allows a free exit for users who choose safe travel arrangements to get home so long as they enter the garage between 3 p.m. and 2 a.m. and return by 11 a.m. the next day to retrieve their vehicle after obtaining a voucher from the Welcome Center.

A $25 overnight fee will be assessed for RVs/campers in the lot east of the Lionshead parking structure on a first-come, first-served basis with a 3-day maximum. Free parking will continue to be offered to commercial charter buses.

From hiking in the summer to skiing in the winter, there’s always something to do in Vail.

Visitors and residents alike enjoy the 1,100 acres of open space accounting for 50 percent of Vail’s town-owned land; 350,000 surrounding acres of national forest, crowned by 5,289 skiable acres on one of the largest and best ski mountains in the world.